Here and Again
by ANBUShizuka
Summary: In an attack on Soul Society, many good soul reapers die. And Captain Unohana finds herself without lieutenant and friend. Nearly twenty years pass and she goes on a small visit to someone in Karakura. But Unohana runs into her past. Full force. (Reincarnation!AU)


There were terrified screams filling the air, causing Isane's heart to clench. Any scream could be Kiyone's, any dying screech could be her own. That was when she spotted them; a lone group made up of fourth squad and thirteenth, struggling to keep each other alive. Kiyone appeared unscathed for the most part, which gave Isane some relief. However, that was when a great shriek filled the battle-riddled Seireitei. What happened next was mostly a blur, save for hearing Kiyone scream and a deafening howl, accompanied by unbearable pain. Her vision was hazy, at best, when the soothing voice of her captain came into focus. "Isane? Isane, open your eyes. Please, look at me." The desperation in her voice started to show as she asked, "Have any of you been working on her? Stand aside; let me do it." A cool, firm hand brushed away the sweaty silver bangs over her forehead and the last thing Isane saw was the pained look of failure and loss in Unohana's royal blue eyes.

[X]

Retsu smiled as the man struggled to keep his three children under control. He grumbled, "Sorry about this, Unohana. They're a lot like Rukia when it comes to going to bed on time. All right, you three, hush up and go get your pajamas on!"

The smallest one- a little girl with red-brown hair in soft tendrils- whined, "But daddy, my bunny jammies aren't in my room!"

At this, Ichigo paused and his exasperated look was replaced with a sympathetic one. "Hanako, take your sister and get her bunny pajamas out of the laundry, please?" The eldest child grinned and, gathering her little sister in her arms, headed down the hallway with their brother in tow. Ichigo sighed heavily, scratching lightly at the faint scruff on his cheek. "Sorry 'bout that. Hanako is a damn good kid. Kaien and Michiru are quite the handfuls though. So, what did you need?"

"Nothing, truly. Simply coming to check up on your family. Has Captain Kuchiki been by lately?" She smiled sweetly at the way Ichigo bristled. "Oh, so he has. I take it the aforementioned pajamas are a present from the captain."

"Yeah, no kidding. Don't get me wrong, he's actually really great with the kids-" He grunted as a palm connected harshly with the back of his head and he jolted, screeching, "What the _hell_ was that for?"

"My brother is a wonderful uncle and don't you forget it!" Rukia smiled at the captain and greeted, "Always a pleasure to see you, Captain Unohana." There was a call from upstairs and the smaller woman dashed off, calling over her shoulder, "I'll see you later; the kids are into something again!"

Retsu stood, causing Ichigo to get up from his seat as well. "You're always welcome here anytime, ma'am," the deputy soul reaper said. He smiled as she walked out the backdoor.

"Oh, good. You owe me a fight, Ichigo," reminded the woman. Her eyes grew sharp with a glint of sadistic eagerness and she had to suppress her grin. "Until next time then!" With that, she sprinted off, enjoying the lights of the city and all the chaos. Until a hollow's scream rent the air and her head snapped in the direction of the sound. "Damn. This one had better be worth the effort..." She abruptly turned in the general area where the noise had come from and swiftly arrived at her destination. It was then that she realized that she was outside of a massive hospital campus. The beast itself was unimpressive and Retsu allowed a growl to rip from her throat, knowing that her desire to have a good fight would once again go unsatisfied. She made quick work of it, needing only to shunpo and take one swing at the creature. It gave a pitiful howl and dissipated, allowing the woman to return without further incident to the Soul Society.

As she arrived back in the barracks, Hanataro came up, adjusting his arm badge and smiling softly in his normal way. "Good evening, captain Unohana. Good trip?" His eyes were slightly hopeful as he inquired, "Oh and how are Ichigo and Rukia? Are the children doing good too?"

Unohana sighed softly, smiling tiredly at her lieutenant. "They're all quite well, Hanataro. Now, if you'll excuse me, it is quite late and both of us should be off to bed. Fire watch is on duty right now and if anything happens, they are to report to either you or me." Her smile never wavered as she nodded and said, "Good night, lieutenant."

"Good n-night, captain," he stammered in return. With a weak grin, he darted away

She turned on her heel and walked slowly toward her own quarters, pausing outside of Isane's old room. When she died, Unohana knew it was foolish to leave it be. However, she simply couldn't bring herself to change anything. The captain slid the door open, closing her eyes and imagining her former lieutenant sitting up in bed, mumbling about fish cakes. She smiled fondly, opening her eyes to the dark, musty room. "Good night, Isane." A few strides later put Retsu just outside her own room.

'_You miss that girl, don't you?_'

'_Of course I do, Minazuki._'

He fell silent for a time as his wielder got ready for bed, only speaking again when her hand brushed the scar on her chest. '_She helped temper your thirst. I've been aching to see your eyes light up like they used to. Back when you were the most feared._'

Retsu settled onto her side, staring blankly at the opposite wall until her eyes began to droop. "I miss it too, Minazuki. I miss Isane infinitely more though."

[X]

Unohana fought to keep the smile off her lips as she felt the soft pads of paws tease her nose. "Yoruichi, stop."

The gruff voice of the cat hummed, "You need to get up. How did it go last night?"

"Well enough. Ichigo and Rukia are good. So are the kids. Isshin is absurd, as always." She sat up in bed and scratched behind the cat's ears, making Yoruichi purr quietly. Retsu smiled as her companion curled up in a fuzzy ball on her lap. "You never let anyone scratch behind your ears anymore."

"You're an exception, now keep scratching," grumbled Yoruichi. As soon as Retsu had scratched along the length of her back, lingering where her spine led into the base of her tail, Yoruichi stretched, pawing at her fellow captain's knee. "Ok. Get dressed and let's go. We're gonna go on a little detour from our normal check-ins. And by that, I mean we're going to go see Kisuke."

Raising an eyebrow, Retsu asked, "And why are we going to go see Urahara?"

"Because he's seen something that he wants to tell us about. Idiot wouldn't tell me when I asked him about it," said the cat. She hopped off of Retsu's lap and padded off, calling over her shoulder, "I'll see you in the old training fields. I have a senkaimon waiting there."

The woman blinked slowly, as if doing so would allow her to process the information more clearly. Without any hesitation, she got up and began dressing. Minazuki chimed, '_I wonder- do you suppose you'll ever find her? She could have been reincarnated anywhere in the world._'

"You're not helping, Minazuki," Retsu said sharply. She set out, going to the abandoned training fields, waiting for Yoruichi to step out. As soon as the woman- having abandoned her cat form- came forward, the doors of the senkaimon opened, allowing the two women to begin their trek. "So, why are we going to see Urahara?"

"He said he discovered something the other day that might interest you. And in turn would interest me. That's why," Yoruichi replied. She grinned, "Also, gotta say, Kisuke always does really silly things when I'm a cat and for some reason, I love it."

As they emerged in the living world, they were standing right outside Urahara's shop. The blonde man in question was leaning in the doorway, smile on his face, as the women approached him. "Yoruichi! And captain Unohana, it's so good to see you." They all headed inside as the man said, "I found something that you might find rather important, captain. And I think you'll be rather happy about it too."

"Urahara, I'd rather appreciate it if you'd simply tell me what it is," Unohana said with a slight edge to her voice.

He faltered for a moment but recovered and replied, "Of course, of course, follow me." Taking a seat at a low table, he pulled out some papers and said, "I think you should sit down for this." He handed the papers over as the woman sat down and watched her face contort in confusion, at first, and then a mortified kind of shock.

"Urahara, are these-"

"Completely real. I was just wandering around the city when I got this weird feeling and I recognized her. So I decided to snap a picture and then do a little research." He smiled. "So? One hell of a surprise or what?"

Yoruichi frowned and asked, "What the hell? C'mon, what is it? You haven't told me-" She abruptly stopped when the picture was set down in front of her and her jaw dropped. The dark-skinned woman blinked back her confusion and murmured, "But that's..."

"Isane. She's been reincarnated."


End file.
